For a more adventurous holiday in Morocco, the desert in the south-east of Morocco is well worth the long journey. The big sandy dunes of the Sahara are almost an obligatory stop during a road trip in Morocco. Spending the night in the desert under a starry sky with a bon fire is the dream of almost every traveler in the world.
In Morocco, you can make your dream come true as the desert of Morocco offers impressively beautiful sand dunes of up to 150 meters (500ft) in height. A seemingly endless golden field of sand dunes stretches to the horizon as far as the eye can see. So in this vast ocean of sand, you can choose to visit two areas:
Merzouga (Erg Chebbi dunes) or Mhamid Lghizlane (Erg Cherrarga dunes)
How to get to Merzouga? (Erg Chebbi Dunes)
Erg Chebbi Dunes are located near the small town of Merzouga. At 22km long and 5km wide, the dunes are spectacular to see in person. You’ll feel very small amongst the towering dunes that go on into the horizon.
If you are a confident driver, you can choose to drive from Fes (7h drive away), or Marrakech (8h30min drive away), the roads from these cities to Merzouga are all paved (but expect some rough patches along the way).
It’s not going to be an easy drive, for example, the route from Marrakech to Merzouga is more than 560 kilometers that cuts through a precarious section of the High Atlas Mountains and then past deep ravines, before ultimately descending into the Sahara Desert.
You can also choose to stop in Ouerzazate – a charming small town- for one night and continue the driving the next day (5h drive away). You can check our suggested itinerary here.
Once you arrive to Merzouga, you can choose to stay in a hotel in the town, or spend the night in the middle of the Dunes, in a bouviac. You can’t get to the dunes by yourself, unless you have a 4×4 car or you own a camel, but it’s something you don’t have to worry about, it’s the hotel who will take care of transporting you to the dunes sand.
The best way is From Fes by SUPRATOUR public bus, the departure is at 8h30PM with arrival to Merzouga at 8pm. Cost 210dh (25$).
You can book a desert tour excursion with a local travel agency. If it’s your first desert trip in Morocco, choosing a small group tour with an agency is the most affordable way and also the most convenient option to get to the desert.
Once you arrive to Merzouga, you can choose to stay in a hotel in the town, or spend the night in the middle of the Dunes, in a bivouac.
Where to Stay in Merzouga?
For hotels: Starting 60$/night
For a standard desert tent camping: Starting 60$/night
For the luxurious camp experience: Starting 120$/night
What we recommend is to spend two nights in the desert, one in the desert camping sites in the dunes and one in a hotel. Sometimes the hotels have their own bouviac set in the dunes, so you can book a package with the hotel that includes camel ride + one night in the tent .
We personally stayed at Kenz Errimal for the first night and Desert Heart Luxury Camp for the second one, and we were very satisfied, we highly recommend both.
Check our personal itinerary to visit Merzouga here.
How to get to Mhamid Lghizlane? (Erg Chegaga Dunes)
Mhamid Lghizlane is not as easy to access as Erg Chebbi, it’s located further in the south, so it will take more time to get there .
Erg Chegaga is 40 km long and 15 km wide. It is much more difficult to reach the erg by passenger vehicle, and you will need a 4×4. The road is paved until M’hamid. Then a 4×4 is necessary to reach the area completely covered with dunes.
The accommodations options are the same as you’d find in Merzouga.
In both regions, to spend a night in a bivouac in the Moroccan desert, it’s very simple:
You book your night in the tent and that includes a dromedary transfer or you go to the hostel at the beginning / mid-afternoon on the day of your reservation. If you came by car, you leave your car safely in the parking lot of the hostel.
In the afternoon you set off on a camel to reach the camp (almost 1 hour).
When arriving in the camp, you can enjoy the dunes, sliding down down the sand on a snowboard, and the sunset over the Moroccan desert…
At night, you can enjoy a nice Moroccan dinner and after that they play music on the campsite around a campfire. The sky is so clear in the desert, with no light pollution you’ll see every star in the sky and you can even see the Milky Way!
The next day, if you’re ambitious to wake up very early, do not miss watching the sunrise at the top of a dune.
After that you’ll have breakfast and you can choose to do one the activities that the hotel will offer you (quad biking, dune surfing, buggy driving,..)
Return to the hostel by camel or 4×4 car or even on quad bikes.
Where to stay in Mhamid Lghizlane ?
Some Moroccan desert camping options in Mhamid E Ghizlane :
Remember you are visiting the desert, so nights are even colder during the cold season and the sun is very harsh during the summer.
The best time to visit the desert of Morocco is during spring (March to May) or autumn (September to October). The weather is warm, but pleasant, unlike the cold temperatures during the winter, or the unbearable heat of summer.
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